Has anyone tried cranial sacral therapy for tinnitus relief?

[Jimmuck]

I have been watching a series of videos on You Tube about tinnitus by Julian Cowan Hill who suffered from the condition for sixteen years. He is now "cured" and a major part of his recovery process involved cranial sacral therapy. I have discovered a clinic only a few minutes from my home who specialise in this treatment and I am seriously considering booking a few sessions. However, they are relatively expensive and before I part company with my hard earned cash, I was wondering if any fellow tinnitus sufferers have experience of this treatment and how effective was it?

[sammie888]

Hi Jimmuck like a lot of my fellow "T" friends i have read a lot on the "T" subject and i can tell you every article will always tell you to be careful and steer clear of these so called cures, in the early days i to sought out cures for the dreaded "T" and at one time was quoted 5 to 6 thousand pounds for one so called cure and on researching this found that it was no more than a sound generator with a lot of appointments and verbal "----", my advice is to stick with the NHS it is time consuming but they do know best.

All the very best.

Sammie

[Ruud1boy]

How expensive are you talking?

The medical people advise against trying all the various different alternative therapies, as the chances are they won't get rid of your T and you'll likely get more despondent as you tick them off your list. That said, they realise that people will try things - if it's not thousands, what's the worst that can happen?

[Hidden]

it sounds like cranial sacral therapy is an 'alternative' and it's main proponents are those who practice it. I really do think that using the money for some stress free relaxation would be a better way to use the cash. A nice long weekend somewhere you have always wanted to go would be my suggestion. As for 'out there' therapies it's not for me to rubbish them but I am hugely skeptical. I'm not broke but I would not go this way.

[berry76]

I have to confess that apart from giving me a feeling of deep relaxation, the head noise did not abate after cranial sacral therapy ....and I also actually had a couple of sessions with JCH himself - again lovely relaxation but no improvement. However that's just me - it may well have had a beneficial effect on others.

Good luck.

[Jimmuck]

Thanks for all your replies which are greatly appreciated. Cranial sacral therapy sounded as if it might offer some relief but taking your comments on board, I think I'll give it a miss!

[Sallyderek in reply to Jimmuck]

I would give it a go x

[Hidden]

As a registered practitioner in Cranial Osteopathy [26 yrs} I eventually refused Tinnitus patients as I could not justify accepting fees without being able to guarantee any success...

Carol.

[Jimmuck]

Hi Caromia,

Thanks for your reply. I admire your honesty as I suspect there are other practitioners out there who would simply take the money from people who are desperate to find some relief. I had never even heard of this treatment until I started looking around the internet and I am so glad I joined this forum to get the opinions of other tinnitus sufferers or I would probably be halfway through a course of very expensive treatment by now! Best wishes.

[Hidden]

I went to Julian Cowan Hill I had 2 sessions it is expensive you have to have quite a few sessions I stopped mainly because it was just too expensive

I didn't really get any difference in my Tinnitus he swears and has proof he cured his own tinnitus I can't remember if he cured it his own tinnitus or got it to a low level but I wouldn't bother with trying it again I have learnt to manage my tinnitus and live practically living a normal life I do take extra care not to get ear infections or wax build up and never get water in your ear even when showering.

[hazyfan]

I’m currently seeing Julien , you get a real sense of calmness after a session with him and coping exercises when yuo get stressed, I never really expected him to reduce my ringing , my tinittus became louder 3 months ago , I’m hoping I can cope better in time , as struggling with it at mo

[Jimmuck in reply to hazyfan]

I am so glad you found your sessions with him to be beneficial. I watched many of his videos when my T first raised it's ugly head and even just listening to him gave me some hope and reassurance when I was totally panic stricken. It's something I considered having done as there is a clinic near my home who offer this service but the cost was really prohibitive. I am getting my hearing aids soon and I am pinning my hopes on them to reduce the T volume but if there's no difference, I might push the boat out and go for therapy. Thanks for your reply and I hope you manage to find some peace soon.

[simonbaker]

Late in the day on this post, but I am a Craniosacral therapist and a member of the British Tinnitus Association. I have attended their practitioner course. I helped my own tinnitus through this process. I now specialise in tinnitus therapy. Not one treatment works for all but I have had success with clients and I am very transparent about the outcomes. A lot of it is education/ CBT and giving hope there are methods to help let go. Also to help take a client's nervous systems out of their fight/flight modes they are often in which can feed the tinnitus. Hands-on bodywork can work wonders for this.

All the best, Simon Baker.

[Ruud1boy in reply to simonbaker]

Where are you based / practising Simon?

There's a piece in the current BTA 'Quiet' magazine extolling the virtues of CST and I'd be curious to give it a go myself - it can't be any less effective than everything else I've done over the last 2yrs.

[JenJund in reply to simonbaker]

Hi Simon,

I am interested in having some craniosacral work, I used to see a lady locally (not for T which I have unfortunately had for the last 4 months) but she has no spaces at present. I live near Camberley, Surrey - are you based anywhere near me?

Thanks

Jennie

[Rindybetty in reply to JenJund]

Hello All

Re CST. I had a couple of sessions with a lovely lady locally in Hampshire. I have PT and Hyperacusis with pain. Unfortunately the cst work irritated my head beyond belief and I was laid up in pain for a week after each session. Maybe that just proved that there really is something unbalanced in my head. She did say that she could or feel something but I couldn’t put myself through it again. I also had a GON (greater occipital nerve) block and that too irritated my head with severe migraines for a week. The CST session was itself very relaxing so it might be worth a try for you.

[Wringing1212 in reply to simonbaker]

Hi Simmon,

Do you think it makes a difference as to what the individuals cause or source of the T was or is? Can manipulation of the neck aggravate T? When I leave my PT, my T spikes a little, perhaps because I have stenosis of the spine and it gets eritated easily.

[HayleyStephens in reply to simonbaker]

I concur. I think Cranio is great for calming the nervous system, but not a cure for symptoms of tinnitus. If you listen to the science part of how new neural pathways are created by behaving differently. ( neuroplasticity) and really understand this, your tinnitus symptoms will back off. You have to unlearn the sound. It's the same with lots of bodily symptoms, and thought processes . If they aren't a threat to us our conscious mind will demote them to our subconscious. There are loads of books and information . I cured myself this way from horrendous debilitating symptoms of anxiety this way, and I'm doing the same with this new anxious tinnitus behaviour. It really is what we are doing that is keeping the tinnitus going. Once the symptoms have been demoted to your subconscious they may come into your conscience from time to time, but with this new knowledge the symptoms will always be temporary. Tinnitus is temporary, believe me.

[Maximoo in reply to HayleyStephens]

Hi Hayley, your post is so reassuring and makes so much sense. My tinnitus started six months ago, my lovely GP sent me for an MRI and hearing tests and everything was normal, no damage to nerve endings etc. I think my problem now is that I've developed the subconscious habit of it being a barometer for my work/emotional stress. I have days when I don't have it, but I seem to have got into the pattern of 'day on/day off' and I've realised that when it's not there I worry about it coming back, and when it is there I worry about it never going away! The result is that I think about it constantly and I just need to 'unlearn the sound' as you put it. There's no physical reason for it, it's no threat to my overall health, but I've got into the habit of it and on bad days it tends to spoil everything. Can I ask what you're doing to cure your 'anxious tinnitus'? Thanks again.

[HayleyStephens in reply to Maximoo]

Hi. I continue as before. I have a happy life, so I make sure I concentrate and appreciate the positive things. I don't deliberately mask or avoid the sound. I avoid stress and have regular, monthly body based therapies. I have a lovely cranial therapist, who enables me to completely let go. Trying too hard to escape your symptoms is so counterproductive. If I'm having a really bad day, I Will talk to my husband and let myself have a cry if I feel like it. I always have this sense of knowing I'll get better, as I have with other symptoms and sensations, no matter what medical people have told me. The body always knows how to heal itself. I also am not inpatient for the symptoms to go. I also think it helps to think of others, particularly those who are struggling with so much more. I concentrate on love and hope. I also have faith in god x ps its good if you can find a new hobby or interest. I do voluntary work with the elderly who are isolated and have some hens which I love taking care of as well as my 2 yorkies.

[Maximoo in reply to HayleyStephens]

Very wise words! I too concentrate on all the positives in my life, I have a job I absolutely love, and am a genuine blessing counter. Plus, like you, I have a faith and that brings me great comfort, but I do wobble a bit when it's really bad. As I said I've realised it's a reliable barometer for stress, among my other work I'm currently making a documentary about the power of the Arts to change the lives of young people, and it's extremely pressured! Plus I live in Covent Garden, which I love, but it's very difficult to switch off as it's like living in the middle of swirling madness :-). Massage definitely helps, I've made a decision to have it regularly and stick to it, I always mean to and then work gets in the way, but it's time to prioritise. I shall also go down the cranial therapy path, I haven't done it for years, but I think it's a wonderful therapy. I think your comment that I find the most reassuring is that, like me, you have the sense that it will get better. As you say the body has an awesome gift of healing itself. My friend is an ENT surgeon and she said "It WILL get better, you just have to let it!" And you're so right about thinking of others, one of my closest friends is in the final stages of MND and my word, looking at him, I have nothing to complain about. Wishing you the very best, I love the sound of your life with hens and yorkies - bliss!

[Whine in reply to HayleyStephens]

Hello Hayley. Great post! Thank you. It is a relief to see some positivity for a change. After about seven years of T and 1 year of getting involved with research and with a local support group I have recently found my mood to be lowering, and so it is good to find a new path to follow. Would you post the names of those books which you found to be most helpful? How did you (or any contributor) find out how to contact a Cranial Sacral therapist?

Kindly advise.

[Infinity-jack in reply to HayleyStephens]

Xcellent Advice ! So happy this route worked 4 you.,

[Halen12 in reply to simonbaker]

More info please if you can

[1Dar]

Hi I tried cranial sacral therapy for awhile and I think it did ease the Tinnitus for a bit. It certainly eased my heavy head for awhile. The BTA say it doesn’t help though. I’m going to go back and give it another go and try to be consistent. Good luck !

[hazyfan]

Hi I Paid to have 6 sessions with Julian, although it was very relaxing and he was very caring and understanding, it did nothing for my T, but will deduce any stress you may have...

[jbradford42]

Hi Jimm how can anyone have tinnitus for 16 years then be cured how and Why are we not just doing what he did. Why does the doctors or hospitals not tell us about him and his methods. I personally don’t believe anything has been invented yet for T so it’s just a case of trying and doing anything that comes along if I had the money I’d try anything or anybody who had a chance of stopping this hell. Good luck and if you can go for it.

[Halen12]

Something I am looking into as well also Reiki